First Public Fueling Site Opening at O’Hare

CHICAGO – The first public gas station at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport is breaking ground, and it will feature not only a convenience store and drive-thru restaurant but also a large alternative fuels offer.

The O’Hare Travel Plaza at Higgins Road and Patton Drive will sell Mobil-branded fuel and include a 7-Eleven c-store and a drive-thru restaurant, the brand of which has yet to be announced. The $6 million development, set to open in November, is being built and managed for the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) by Petroleum Marketing Group (PMG), which has also developed fueling sites for John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in New York, Southwest Florida International and Orlando International airports in Florida, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, among others.

Similar to PMG’s other airport fueling locations, the O’Hare Travel Plaza will feature a sustainable design, and be certified to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The fuel island’s canopy will hold 150 330-watt solar panels, which should generate about 55,000 kilowatt-hours of power per year for an estimated energy savings of $100,000 per year. The panels will supply more than half of the retail building’s electricity.

Meanwhile, 60% of the O’Hare Travel Plaza’s fuel offer will be reserved for alternative fuel sources, including the 85% ethanol blend E85 and electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations. Once it opens, the site will nearly double the number of EV-charging sites at O’Hare International Airport to 41, and supply not only airport commuters but also transportation providers, commercial vehicles and fleets.

“The Chicago Department of Aviation is thrilled to break ground on the O’Hare Travel Plaza which is setting the standard for 21st century fuel stations with its sustainable design and impressive selection of alternative fuel sources,” said CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee. “This forward-thinking, multifuel station demonstrates the CDA’s ongoing efforts to implement sustainability wherever we can as we continue to build a better, more modern airport for our passengers and the surrounding community.”

“Petroleum Marketing Group was proud to partner with the CDA to develop a travel plaza that produces next-generation energy from renewable sources,” said Armand Keurian, director of development for PMG. “We are happy to lead the way in creating a service station that will assist in reducing the carbon footprint.”

Founded in 2001, PMG is one of the major jobbers and distributors of petroleum products and operators of convenience stores in the mid-Atlantic United States, delivering more than 1 billion gallons of petroleum on an annual basis. The Woodbridge Va.-based company services more than 1,800 locations, from Maine to Florida. PMG is an authorized distributor for the Marathon, Shell, Exxon, Mobil, BP, Sunoco, CITGO, Gulf, 76 and Crown brands and supplies nonbranded petroleum products, as well.